Savvy materials choices

This home's budget-friendly attitude starts with the structure. Unique but practical, the 1,477-square-foot home incorporates found materials, such as a recycled corrugated-metal roof, pine ceiling beams salvaged from a factory teardown, quarry tile floors and even pieces of broken Fiesta dinnerware and recycled bricks in the porch foundation.

Inside the Empire, Michigan, home, Sandy set out to add loads of color, bargain antiques and smart storage-- while sticking to a strict budget.

Antiques can be practical

Get vintage charm with pieces such as this antique kitchen sink, which came from a historic building in central Illinois. Its old-fashioned utilitarian design, with large drainboard, works well for a family.

Rescued knobs -- and cabinets

Use your imagination to repurpose local finds. Knobs in the kitchen are actually ceramic insulators from old electric farm fencing. The white knobs pop against newly painted red cabinetry rescued from a local farmhouse.

Inexpensive centerpiece

Create a budget-friendly centerpiece instead of a standard arrangement or vase on your dining table. Sandy displays single-stem wildflowers in old milk bottles and a galvanized milk crate found at a barn sale.

Color accents

Add accent pillows. It's one of the easiest and cheapest ways to give a room oomph. These pillows incorporate the bright color scheme in a mix of solids and patterns.

Brighten an antique table with a coat of bold paint. Sandy grabbed the square side table in the corner because it had a galvanized metal top that matched her coffee table. A coat of red paint coordinates with the walls, which are yellow-orange to echo sunsets on Lake Michigan.

Art from architecture

Turn architectural salvage into artwork. Sandy found the window pediment above this bed at an antiques store for $65.

Go bold with colors. The carefree setting for Sandy's cottage inspired a lively, nature-inspired color scheme throughout. The bedrooms use greens and blues to reflect the sky and treetops seen through the windows.

Basement hangout

Paint cement floors to add instant style in a lower-level space. In the boys' basement hangout, rich colors warm the floor and walls, while inexpensive artwork hangs from wires, and a futon provides sleepover space for friends.

DIY shower

Use galvanized pipe to construct a simple outdoor shower. Sandy and Todd found everything they needed in the plumbing department of their local home center. The shower keeps beach sand and dirt from being tracked into the house and is popular with the boys' friends.